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After last years, Demonetisation and the subsequent reforms in the real estate industry with RERA and GST, the clouds of confusion and uncertainty are slowly vanishing. There is a revival of sentiments in consumers with the onset of the festive season also.

The real estate sector of Hyderabad is looking bright with all the positive steps taken by the current government and the municipality of Hyderabad. The Telangana Government is going to spend almost a whopping Rs. 10,000 crores on just Hyderabad’s infrastructure development. The Hyderabad city is not only becoming an apple of eye for national news and investment but also for international news with celebrities like Ivanka Trump preferring Hyderabad than to other cities of India for business meets and investment. Hyderabad has recently surpassed Bengaluru in foreign investments. Almost all world’s major names and brand companies of businesses of all sectors are present in Hyderabad.

All these factors are also assisting in building a strong base for building Hyderabad, the next hub for the best commercial real estate market. It is seen that when the demand for commercial real estate rises in a particular area, then the demand for residential real estate sector also rises in its surrounding or neighboring areas.

In Hyderabad, areas like Gachibowli, Kondapur,Madhapur, Shaikpet, Hitec city, Banjara Hill, Jubilee Hills, Manikonda and all the surrounding areas and localities are developing very fast. Offices, Hotels, Hospitals, Apartment,Luxury Villa, Sports facility, Shopping Malls, Schools, etc. are building up at very fast rates in these areas.

Manikonda Property Market

It is located in the west of Hyderabad city. Manikonda is one such location, which is emerging very rapidly and has shown a high rate of growth, over the past few years in terms of returns. It is rated as one of the top preferred localities in Hyderabad, for purchasing residential real estate property in the IT corridor spaces. People usually prefer the property location to reside, near to their offices. Manikonda is close to IT hubs like Gachibowli, Raheja Park, Shaikpet, Hitech City and Nanakramguda (Financial District). Most of the IT professionals working in these places, are preferring Manikonda as the best choice to buy a property. Those who get transferred or shifting to other companies in other cities of India are able to put their flats for rent or sale very quickly without many hassles.

Manikonda Property Prices

In Manikonda, you can easily get a flat of 1BHK (460-700sq ft) for Rs 8-20 lakh, a 2BHK flat (800-1800 sq ft) for Rs 22-50 lakh and a 3BHK (1147-2520 sq ft) for Rs 34-79 lakh. The localities have residential plots ranging from Rs 22,000-34,000 per sq yd. Apart from this, you can find villas, independent homes, commercial land and shops in the locality according to your budget.

Several multi-billion dollar projects likeLanco Hills and Hallmark Constructions are present in Mannikonda, providing flats in all segments of 1BHK, 2BHK, 3BHK unit at a very affordable price range. The prices of residential real estate properties such as plots, flats and villas in Manikonda are much reasonable than its neighboring markets of Gachibowli and Hitec city.

Currently, apartments are the most supplied types of property. One needs to be cautious while buying a house in Manikonda because the permits are usually given for the two-story building on the ground floor. Before investing, buyers should make sure that the builder has the required permission to make 3 or more floors.

Accessibility

The airport and railway station are easily accessible through flyovers and Outer Ring Road (ORR). The upcoming of Metro at Shilparamam is also providing a plus point to get connected to far-flung areas of Hyderabad. Also, Manikonda is connected to the neighboring IT Hub via the Old Mumbai Highway, which boosts its good connectivity to Gachibowli and Hitech city. There is a good number of bus frequency between it and Mehdipatnam. Tourist attractions like Golkonda, Qutub Shahi Tombs and Osman Sagar Lake are within easy reach. Many construction builders, land developers of national and international reputes, has already completed many residential projects and handed over the possessions to the buyers.

The wide spectrum of the real estate projects in the residential and commercial segment has helped in building better comprehensive, advanced and sophisticated civic infrastructure in Manikonda. Be its offices, apartments, schools, hotels, supermarkets, banks, hospital or any entertainment avenue - all structural construction are on par with the current architectural trends and providing better quality facilities with the best use of space and materials.

Rent Returns in Manikonda Property

Due to its proximity to IT centers, the rental returns of residential properties perform well and has an approximate rental yield of 5.5%. The rents for 2BHK may vary from Rs 10,000 to 25,000 a month, which is quite satisfactory. Because of all these factors, one should try once property options available in Manikonda before buying any real estate property in other neighboring localities. Also, the proposed ITIR Master Plan in Hyderabad, which will be integrated with the HMDA Master Plan, is likely to bring more organized development to the outskirts of the city in the coming years

Pattaya is a resort city on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand. The city is built around a wide crescent shaped bay. It has a rare combination of being both, a beach destination and having all the amusements & comforts of a big metropolis. It has become the second most important city in Thailand after Bangkok and has a huge influx of international tourist all round the year.

The delights of sun, sea and sand, combined with outstanding entertainment, commercial and tourist attractions, have made this formerly a small fishing village, a big winner amongst expats from all over the globe.

You will get the best beaches like KoSamae San, which is a tiny island, almost 35 Km south of Pattaya. The North Pattaya (Pattaya Neua) is an upmarket area with north Naklua which is having some top end resorts and Pattaya South (Pattaya Tai) is famous for its nightlife.

Pattaya is a true tourist destination. It caters to all types of traveller category - for families, honeymooners, Senior Citizens, group of friends or for a solo traveller. Here, you will get to see a world-class underwater world, Dolphin world, an open zoo, Ripley’s Believe it or not, beautiful Khao viewpoint, beaches, floating market, beautiful Buddha Statues, monasteries, amusement parks, wellness centres and Walking Street. People come in Pattaya, to engross in its mega shopping centres and amenities.

Pattaya overview – Economy & Infrastructure

The city of Pattaya has flourished due to a large number of Thai and Foreign tourist visit it every year. All the businesses and services catering to tourists and upscale expats are doing well.

Real estate in Pattaya has been one of the fastest growing and most sustainable industries in the past few years. The rapid increase in the number of property developments is a clear indicator that this trend is set to continue. A large number of new businesses are opened every year and the old ones are sold to Thai or foreign investors. The city of Pattaya is very beautiful and the amenities and infrastructure provided by the government are good. The transportation facilities are improving and the area covered for mass transit is also expanding. It is merely two hours or so away from Bangkok, making it a perfect retirement spot or weekend getaway. This expands one’s scope of searches for better property in Pattaya according to his/ her requirements and budget.

The Thai government initiatives have helped the region for its rapid industrial and commercial growth. The new deep sea port – Laem Chabang is having a vast industrial estate. The Eastern Seaboard has almost 12 industrial estates where, about more than 10 Thousands of expatriates are employed. Pattaya boasts some of the Thailand’s finest hotels and resorts, malls, entertainment and recreational facilities.

Why Pattaya for Reality Investment?

The overseas tourists love to come again and again to Pattaya, for vacations. The happy lifestyle, cheap cost of living and scenic beauty has tempted thousands of international tourists to buy a Condo in Pattaya. The city is well connected to all major cities of the world through airways and waterways. The Thai Government has allowed foreigners, to buy property in Pattaya. Usually, buying a Condominium or "Condo" is a little easier to purchase than a house on land. One needs a help of a broker and a Thai lawyer while purchasing a Condo, which is simple and convenient.

A Condominium (Condo) is an apartment, which is divided into different units. Each unit is separately owned by individuals. It has common amenities like swimming pool, parking lot, gym, garden, etc., which are jointly owned and maintained by condominium owners association.

The Special features of Condominium are:

• Airports and railways are easily accessible• Latest building designs, layouts and interiors • Quality standard of construction is maintained• High-quality materials and specifications are implemented• Good and secure neighbourhoods, ensuring privacy of residents• Adequate elevators and efficient M&E system • Complete range of Amenities• Car parking• Professional management

The cost of Condo depends on the area of location, type of amenities provided and the area of the unit. The new residential real estate projects are designed according to its future residents and their lifestyle concerns. Efficient unit layouts offer better value to the purchaser by increasing the ratio of usable living space.

Many luxury projects maintain resort-style landscapes carefully, merge the existing trees on the site and water features like beach frontage. The recreational facilities in the projects include fitness centre, sun and shade decks, swimming pools, kid's pool, tennis courts, car parking, water slide and playground for kids. The per sq.m charges of a Condo in Pattaya is much reasonable as compared to Bangkok. There are many Condo available for sale and rent in Pattaya. Local or Overseas tourists, any one can take a Condo for rent, and if they like it, can also buy it. After possession, if they desire, they can put it on rent. About renting a Condo, the return on investment is faster, almost 8-9% pa.

Investment on the Rise

An International research report suggests that more people are buying condominium units in Pattaya as second homes for leisure, relaxation and also as retirement residences. The rise in demand in residential property, especially in Condominiums is mainly due to good sales performances. The rise in prices is seen in prime market areas and in those areas, which are located on the beach front or are in close proximity to the beach. The special features of these residential real estate properties have been - view of clean beaches, stunning outside scene, a higher level of privacy, etc. Ensuring sea views from units is a crucial element for grade A development projects in achieving high prices. Given the strong demand and limited high-quality supply, prices have been increasing in Pattaya.

It is said that the high-end development projects will go a long way towards raising Pattaya's profile and attracting both quality visitors and investors in its real estate sector. Pattaya is riding the rising wave of a new property cycle as demand continues to improve and expects to see mega real estate developers launching more new residential condominium and holiday-home projects in coming times.

Looking for Investment outside India? Then, Thailand can be your best bet to go for it!

It is a place of fun, enjoyment, excitement, better opportunities as well as affordability for external investors (foreigners) to invest in Thailand, especially in its real estate sector. Major cities like Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Maret, Mekong, etc. are the best attractions for tourists. The tourists come, stay and fall in love with the city’s happy lifestyle. Many of them, prefer these cities as their regular travel destination and end up in buying a Condo.

The “Condo” is a short form of Condominium, where an apartment is divided into several units or flats, which are separately owned by individuals and the common amenities (swimming pool, parking lot, gym, garden, etc.) are jointly owned and maintained by all owners of the condos.

Many foreign nationals of Thai prefer to buy real estate property in Thailand cities as compared to cities of other bigger countries (Sydney, Shanghai, etc.) because of

• Cheap per sq.m area • Cost per living is cheap • Better infrastructure • Availability of Condos as per the budget• High Return on Investment • Better rent with a profit (8-9% pa)• Buying a Condo is easy than an independent house • Stay permanently or Rent, ownership is protected

Any foreigner can purchase/ lease a property in Thailand and easiest way is to buy a Condominium. It can be a one BHK for a smaller budget to a Luxury project with larger per sq.m. The owner can stay or rent it as per its wish.

It is not that buying a Condominium is convenient to buy, that’s why the foreign investors are flocking in every year to buy the real estate properties in Thai cities like – Bangkok, Pattaya, etc. But the other reasons are much bigger and brighter when we consider the improving Thai economy. It is seen that the Thailand property market is rebounding in 2017, after a slack in the economy due to political unrest a few years back. The economy saw a stagnancy in 2016. The pros to invest in Thai real estate property are many.

The Government of Thailand is steadily improving the infrastructure of many cities to reduce the travel commute time and indirectly trying to accommodate ever increasing working population of the cities. The foreign investment has rapidly increased, majorly from countries like China, Japan and other neighbouring countries. Cities like Bangkok, Phuket, Samui, Chiang Rai and Pattaya are commercial cities and also a high number of tourists visit every year. These cities are destinations for businesses and tourism.

The government of Thailand has started several mega projects under construction sector. It is focusing to increase its mass transit lines as the cities are expanding as the city centrals are already congested. This is like giving a new lease of life to businesses and real estate construction companies, for both commercial and residential segments. The Thailand government has increased its infrastructure budget to build double track railway lines, new highways, airports and other infrastructure to better the city amenities. This has attracted a lot of positive vibes from around the world to invest in Thailand. A lot of mega projects had shown interest in investing in the different sectors of the economy like Real estate, IT, Education, Hospitality, etc.

The present time is said to be the best time to buy Real estate property in Thailand as the economy is slowly picking up Few of the Thai Banks has already lowered the interest of Home loans and there is an improvement in consumer confidence for the economy.

Last year, there was a slack in purchasing of properties and subsequently delay in completion of projects. Now, many developers have started to reorganise their business structure to remain competitive in the market.

The bigger reputed developers have joined hands with other strategic partners for greater market dominance, better opportunities and higher chance to acquire loans from the banks.

The overseas real estate investors and buyers have always shown interest in Thailand real estate sectors because of its attractive prices and high potential of price growth. The government is putting all efforts to make Thailand an exciting market for Foreigners. Both expats and overseas investors are growing as customer segment in the Thailand Real estate market. As it could contribute to substantial growth in this real estate industry.

The proposed new land and building tax is forcing land owners to find ways to avoid the tax and including lending their land to developers (who would usually build luxury projects on it). Also, the leasehold projects are normally cheaper than freehold, preferably for foreign investors who focus on yield rates instead of a permanent stay. There are a large number of projects which are taking care of foreign/ overseas investors who are interested to buy small or rentable real estate properties at affordable prices with easy possession processes.

The experts of condominiums and serviced apartment businesses are foreseeing growth in 2017. The main cities of Thailand have a developing populace, due to its improving business sectors and vigorous economic growth. But there is a tight supply of homes to be purchased, which will probably prompt a portion of the biggest price increase. The infrastructural initiatives and capital investment are building a bright future for the Thai economy. Because of this, not only IT, Manufacturing, etc. sectors are prospering, but also other sectors like tourism industry, Hotel industry market, serviced apartment market are showing growth. The Thai government is promoting various festivals, sports and business meet in various cities like Bangkok, Pattaya to attract the world attention. E.g. International Cycling Festival, Khao Phansa- Buddhist festival.

Also, the geographical location of Thailand is almost in the center of South East Asian Countries making it a prime factor for investment in real estate sector – Commercial and residential.

The investment by domestic and foreign institutions in residential real estate projects like - apartments, independent houses, and townships, has been more than double, then what was done in the commercial projects.

As the investment in residential real estate has always remained the most favored segment for asset creation in India. The first half of this year has already attracted 56% of the overall investment in the residential real estate sector.

Experts are asserting that the continuous efforts on reforms in the real estate sector policies, is helping in building a confidence among the institutional investors and middle-class home buyers.

The tough steps taken by the government against corruption through the implementation of - RERA, Goods and Services Tax (GST), Demonetisation and Benami Property Act is making the whole ecosystem of the economy more transparent and is showing positive effects.

Also, the growing middle-class population in the country is increasing the demand for homes which are affordable and sustainable. It is estimated that the boom of the residential sector will continue for next 20 years and it will attract more capital than the commercial/ office real sector space. It is observed that there has been more equity oriented deals in residential spaces than by debt.

On the 2nd of this month, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India reduced the repo rate (short term lending rate) by 0.25 basis points to 6% (this is a 7 year low). This will assist in increasing the affordability of home buyers and is expected to enhance the demand in the housing sector. Also, with the starting of the festive season, in which several housing projects are launched, this move is surely going to impact the real estate sector very positively.

The developers and builders are expecting that the banks will pass this rate cut by lowering their interest rates on home loans. With a stable government at the center and majority in its hand - is pushing more policy reforms in all sectors of the economy, to make it more transparent and attract more global investors. The positive impact of this had been already witnessed after the implementation of GST.

The Real Estate with undergoing transformations through RERA, push for affordable housing and Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs), the domestic investors are also showing more interest in this sector.

Considering the new reforms, a rate cut of 25 bps, a good monsoon in progress, stable inflation numbers and favorable global environment and the overall surge in industry sentiments, a healthy lending rate would provide the much-needed thrust to propel India's growth story.

The RERA - Real Estate Regulatory Authority Act, primarily formulated to bring transparency, accountability and to infuse trust in the Indian buyers for the realty sector.

The RERA has set up the rules for builders or developers to launch any project. They have to follow, all pre-launch and thereafter, project related procedures and seek the prerequisite timely approvals for it. They are:

• The project should have received all requisite approvals before being advertised or sold• Each unit should be sold on the basis of carpet area and not as per built up area.• Disclosure of information related to sanctions, project completion timeline and master plan• A separate Escrow Account for each project should be maintained with 70% of funds as advanced deposits

The buyer can go ahead to purchase any property if above-mentioned criteria are met by the builders for any project.

The RERA has empowered the home buyer to take legal action or can seek redressal in different scenarios in the real estate property buying process, such as for

• If the builder/agent has not registered the advertised real estate project with the state’s regulatory authority• The builder / agent has presented an incorrect or false information to the regulator or contravenes any provisions of the Act• The builder / agent insists on charging on built-up or super built-up area• The builder alters the building or apartment plan without seeking consent of two-third of the total allottees of the project• The builder / promoter fails to deliver the project within the scheduled timeline• The apartment / property / building, witnesses structural defects within five years from the date of possession

Implication of Non Compliance with RERA Rules

All stakeholders of any project - builders, developers, promoters, agents and buyers, have to follow RERA rules otherwise, they have to bear the penalties of non-compliance from the regulatory body. The various cases in which the builder, promoter, agents, buyers can attract penalties are:

The promoter has to register the project as per the Act otherwise, will be liable for a penalty of 10% of the estimated cost of the project. A continued violation of the rules can attract an imprisonment of up to 3 years or both.

The RERA holds the right to revoke the registration of a project, builder, promoter or agent (only after giving 1 month prior notice), if they default in keeping the rules of the Act, violates any of the terms and conditions of approval as given by the competent authority or is involved in any kind of unfair trade practices.

If any false information or contravene of any provisions of the act, is provided to the authority by the developer or agent, then they will be slapped with a penalty of 5% of the project cost. Any failure in complying with the orders of the Appellate Tribunal would increase the penalty to 10% of the project and may even lead to an imprisonment of up to 1 year.

If the project is delayed and the home buyer wishes to withdraw from the investment, then the promoter must return all the funds collected so far along with the interest, as prescribed in the act as arbitrated by an adjudicating officer.

If the homebuyer wishes to stay invested in the project even if it is delayed, then the promoter must pay the interest for every month of delay as compensation.

If the buyer finds a structural defect in the project within the 5 years from the date of possession, then the promoter will have to rectify it within the span of 30 days from the date of filing of the complaint. The promoter will not charge any additional charges on the allottee. If the promoter fails to do so, then the allottee is entitled to seek relevant compensation as mentioned in the Act.

The allottees, too, will be liable to a penalty of 5% of the cost of property, if they fail to comply with or contravene any order, decisions or directions of the authority.

If the allottee's payment is delayed, then, he too is liable to stringent action under the Act. The allottee is liable to pay a similar monthly interest as compensation to the promoter if they default in making timely payment of installment. A continued violation gives the promoter a right to terminate the allotment of property and refund the amount collected after deducting the booking amount and interest after issuance of notice to the allottee.

These are some of the important points of RERA Act, of which the buyer should always be cognizant, before purchasing any real estate property. The RERA has given more powers to the consumers to utilize its legal options, whenever he/she feels being cheated by the developer or agents of real estate sector. The act surely help in building more trust and accountability on both parties (builder and buyer) in long run.